To live to be 100 years old. How to live to be a hundred years old

Today, even those who have crossed the border of 60 years of age dream of living to 100 years old and at the same time remaining cheerful, energetic and, most importantly, healthy. In psychology, this attitude towards age is called common sense and a truly modern approach. Therapists argue that this attitude towards old age is correct, because it is determined not by a person’s age, but by his reserve of internal strength and capabilities.

Scientists at an American university have come to the conclusion that if a person, even at the age of 70, can meet his physiological needs and at the same time lead an active social life, he is not considered old by all criteria and standards.

A person does not age until he considers himself such.

For example, a 60-year-old person can independently go to the store, buy groceries and necessary goods, and at home cook food and clean up dirt; if an elderly person has a desire to attend cultural events, and without the accompaniment of a stranger, then he is not old, but, let’s say, middle-aged.

A person is not considered old, he has reached a high age.

The main thing is not to live to be 100 years old, but to do it with a complete sense of health. There is no point in celebrating one century of age if you are not able to take care of your basic needs at that moment.

Did you know that...

  • How long you live is determined already in the womb. A person’s life expectancy will be influenced by factors such as: consumption and smoking by a pregnant woman, the presence or absence of physical inactivity, proper nutrition of a woman, attitude towards pregnancy - whether it is carried out under the motto of a healthy lifestyle or whether the pregnant woman refused to fight bad habits. These words are confirmed by research by scientists at the University of Cambridge.

So, if you are reading this article and are expecting a child, then now you can make a useful contribution to his future life - start leading a healthy lifestyle.

  • The sections of chromosomes (DNA) covered by telomeres are responsible for life expectancy. If telomeres are short, then the DNA is not protected from possible damage. Consequently, a person ages much faster than someone who has long telomeres.
  • If a child experiences oxygen starvation during birth, this increases the risk of developing diseases of the cardiovascular system, and also reduces life expectancy in general. What to do? Throughout your life, periodically take substances - antioxidants, the action of which is aimed at neutralizing free radicals.

If you want to be healthy, take (an antioxidant) or fill your diet with foods containing antioxidants.

Cambridge University professor Dino Giussani conducted a series of studies and was able to draw the following conclusion: “Our age, our biological clock begins to work even before we are born.

It has been proven that life expectancy is reduced by such factors as:

  • Smoking;
  • Excess weight;
  • Physical inactivity (sedentary lifestyle);
  • Alcohol;
  • Unhealthy food.

All this increases the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases. But, in addition to all this, it is also important what kind of environment a person grows, lives and develops in. If he is surrounded by a society in which rarely anyone lives to an average age of 60-70 years, not to mention centenarians, then a person has nothing to strive for. He will have no one to follow as an example of a healthy lifestyle and longevity.

Proper nutrition

In order not to grow old at 50-60 years old and not get sick with diabetes, cancer, suffer a stroke, and also not have various degrees of disability, you need to start leading a healthy lifestyle and eat right now, no matter how old you are. you are old.

Of course, this will seem unrealistic to most retirees, but anything is possible.

So, by correct and, most importantly, healthy nutrition, you need to understand: avoiding fast food and processed foods, eating less fatty, fried, salty, sweet, spicy, smoked foods, as well as various sauces and mayonnaise. The diet of a healthy person contains a lot of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, fish and dietary meat. With such a diet, you will not gain extra pounds, therefore, you will not be at risk of obesity. Once a week, once every two weeks, arrange fasting days for yourself. Avoid drinking alcohol and alcoholic beverages.

Long-lived Japanese

An example of proper healthy nutrition is the diet of the Japanese, among whom every second resident lives to 90-95 years, and some even to 100 years. What is the Japanese diet like? They eat large amounts of rice, seafood and drink green tea. You will not meet a Japanese person gorging himself on fast food or drinking liters of coffee. Let's take an example from the Japanese - start eating right and living a long time.

Long-livers do not suffer from coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, upper respiratory tract diseases, stroke, myocardial infarction, or coronary heart disease.

If you don’t want to grow old quickly, follow the instructions of Australian scientists - introduce more vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and legumes into your diet. As a result, you can prolong your youth by 80%. For example, in Japan, the population consumes fiber in large quantities. And fiber is dietary fiber necessary for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Healthy “Japanese foods” are considered to be: fish, shellfish, rice, vegetables, seaweed, and fruits. But the most important thing in consuming any food is moderation. Don't overeat, otherwise it will harm your health.

Optimism - yes!

It has been proven that optimists live much longer than pessimists. Moreover, the quality of life of optimists is also higher. Scientists from the University of Manchester conducted a study: who has a better quality of life - optimists than pessimists? It turned out that optimists have better health, they have excellent health, they suffer less from cardiovascular diseases, disruption of the central nervous system and endocrine system. It is enough to start now to change your views on the surrounding reality, to perceive some problems in life more optimistically, and then the quality and quantity of life (which is no less important) will improve and increase.

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I have a film about the secret of eternal youth. That's what it's called. The heroes of the film, as you might guess, are scientists and people aged about a hundred years. Surgeon Fyodor Uglov was 104 years old at the time of filming. And I was quite sincerely interested in what the secret was. I was able to find only one general criterion. Everyone had it, regardless of gender, character, fame and profession. Every centenarian turned out to be an optimist.

I was interested in whether this was an accident or not.

Life throws the same setbacks and tragedies at the optimist as it does at the pessimist, but the optimist supposedly bears them better. He gets up beautifully after defeat and, despite the blows of fate, gathers his strength and begins his journey all over again. A pessimist gives up and becomes depressed.

I was taught that a sane person, normal and sane (and it’s good for them to be), is one who more or less objectively and even critically evaluates the world around him and, most importantly, himself. That is, he perfectly understands where he is brilliant and smart, and where he is a liar, a weakling and a rag.

And right now it turned out that being a realist is wrong and unprofitable. And it’s just very good to internally “photoshop” reality, engage in positive self-deception, consider yourself the best, regardless of objective reality - in short, be an optimist.

Researchers Joanna Starek and Caroline Keating studied the performance of swimmers of the same age and in the same physical condition and found a direct correlation between their success in competitions and the level of positive self-deception. Athletes who highly rated themselves, their abilities, and their future performance swam much faster than others. Describing this experiment, Starek noted: “What scientists are used to calling optimism, faith in the best, the coach of a successful team will call the mindset of a champion.”

Optimists perceive an unfavorable situation as a challenge and fight it vigorously

Probably everyone would like to be optimistic, but not everyone can do this. I, for one, cannot easily deceive myself. If, for example, the doctor tells me something unpleasant - at least that a tooth needs to be removed? - I can’t convincingly tell myself: “Nonsense, it’s just a new experience.” I don’t believe these words internally - I don’t want such an experience, I don’t want my tooth to be pulled out. Not to mention more serious things. Now we won’t talk about whether it’s possible to become an optimist, but let’s return to the question of whether a positive outlook really affects health and life expectancy.

As you may have guessed, yes, it does. A number of studies have shown that optimists have better health than pessimists. For example, psychologist Christopher Peterson tracked the health of 150 students for a year. He found that, compared with optimists, pessimists were twice as likely to contract an infection and visit a doctor.

The main expert on optimism is American psychologist Martin Seligman, the founder of an entire movement - positive psychology. Seligman conducted his first experiments to understand how to treat depression: his father was paralyzed, and the once calm and balanced man very quickly lost interest in life. Through experimentation, Seligman became convinced that, finding himself in an unpleasant situation, some perceive it as inevitable and give up, while others - optimists - try to change it.

A characteristic feature of pessimists is their belief that failures will last a long time, no matter how hard you fight them, and they themselves are to blame for them. Optimists, on the other hand, react to the blows of fate in the exact opposite way. They believe that any defeat is temporary. They perceive an unfavorable situation as a challenge and vigorously fight it. Of course, they sometimes sometimes panic, but here I am talking about the general principle.

It turned out that health at 60 years old is highly correlated with the level of optimism at 25

In the mid-1930s, the Grant Research Foundation began monitoring healthy adults. The researchers wanted to follow the lives of gifted people in order to identify the components of their success and health. They selected two hundred men from the Harvard freshman class. These people have been actively involved in research for half a century. Every five years they were subjected to medical examinations and endlessly forced to fill out questionnaires. Years later, younger researchers replaced the aged researchers and continued their work.

And what did it turn out to be? It turned out that health at 60 years old is strongly correlated with the level of optimism at 25. In middle age, pessimists began to get sick earlier and more severely than optimists. By the age of 45, the difference was already quite significant.

Until the age of 45, optimism had virtually no effect on health: it remained at approximately the same level as at 25. However, at about 45, the male body begins to age. How quickly and seriously can be predicted based on whether a person was a pessimist or an optimist a quarter of a century ago. Moreover, scientists took into account other factors - physical and mental health at 25 - introducing them into the equation. It turned out that optimism plays a decisive role in health from 45 to at least 65 years of age.

In general, you understand: like it or not, you can or not, but you have to become an optimist.

That endurance exercise and fasting prevent premature telomere shortening. The slower the end sections of chromosomes are shortened, the longer the life expectancy. Lenta.ru talks about the latest research.

Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes that perform a protective function. From infancy, their size gradually decreases: on average, two times in adulthood and four times in old age. This is considered one of the reasons for the aging of the human body. A reduction in the rate of telomere degradation is thus directly related to an increase in life expectancy.

The transcriptional regulatory mechanisms associated with human telomeres are not yet well understood. In the new study, the researchers took things a step further by identifying two factors that influence this process: the activity of the PGC-1α and AMPK proteins. The experiments were carried out in two stages. The first involved screening available human telomeric sequences for the presence of transcription factors. The in silico method was used. At the second stage, doctors organized experiments with cyclists, including a biopsy of skeletal muscle tissue.

Analysis of telomeric sequences located at the ends of chromosomes identified the PGC-1α protein. The protein interacts with telomeres at the site where TERRA transcription occurs. This molecule is a non-coded RNA that ensures the integrity of telomeres. The PGC-1α protein acts as a regulator of cellular energy metabolism, which, as previous studies have shown, is triggered after endurance exercise or caloric restriction of food intake.

At the second stage of experiments, scientists decided to find out whether the PGC-1α protein is really involved in the energy metabolism of the cell. The protein turns out to act as a transcription switch for the TERRA molecule, and its activity is regulated by the AMPK enzyme. This enzyme is also produced under the influence of various stimuli, in particular during exercise and fasting. Scientists tested their findings on ten healthy volunteers.

Participants in the experiment exercised on an exercise bike for 45 minutes. To obtain different levels of AMPK activation, subjects were divided into two groups, depending on the severity of the physical activity. The first included those who demonstrated a result of 50 percent of VO2 max, the second - 75 percent of VO2 max. The VO2 max parameter, used in sports medicine, characterizes the ability of tissues to absorb and metabolize oxygen. A biopsy of muscle tissue performed before and after cycling shows that 2.5 hours after exercise, the activity of markers associated with PGC-1α in representatives of the second group increased tenfold, and the production of TERRA increased by tens of percent.

Image: East News

While Belgian doctors suggest prolonging life through physical exercise, Brazilian and American scientists have found that the synthetic male hormone danazol promotes the production of the enzyme telomerase. The use of a hormonal drug by 27 patients with aplastic anemia showed that on average the length of telomeres in each of them increased by 386 pairs. In addition, the level of hemoglobin in the blood rose to an almost physiologically acceptable level.

“In a healthy adult, telomere length on average ranges from 7,000 to 9,000 base pairs. Telomeres typically shorten by 50 to 60 base pairs per year, and in patients with telomerase deficiency by 100 to 300 base pairs per year, says lead study author Rodrigo Calado. “In patients treated with danazol, telomere length increased by 386 base pairs over an average of two years.”

However, danazol therapy has significant disadvantages. In particular, abuse of the hormone can lead to testicular atrophy in men and masculinization in women. Danazol is also toxic to the liver. Currently, experiments are being conducted with drugs based on nandrolone, which have much fewer contraindications. Doctors agree that the use of drugs that affect life expectancy only makes sense when their effect outweighs the possible risks and contraindications.

Low physical activity is the second factor after smoking that increases the risk of premature death. A study conducted by Swedish doctors showed that the more the body is able to absorb oxygen during exercise, the better. Swedes' colleagues from Norway, Australia and the USA hastened to reassure the public that moderate physical activity is sufficient to neutralize the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

This means, for example, walking at a speed of at least 4.8 kilometers per hour or cycling at a speed of about 16 kilometers per hour. The duration of the load is at least an hour. For those who spend about eight hours every day in a sitting position, loads of 60-75 minutes are considered optimal. Individual stages of physical education can be spaced out over time.

The World Health Organization estimates that human health is determined about 20 percent by genetic factors, 25 percent by environmental factors and 15 percent by the level of medical care. The remaining 40 percent comes from people's conditions and lifestyles. This indicator directly depends on the person. In particular, giving up smoking, drinking alcohol and fatty foods in combination with exercise will greatly improve the quality and length of life.

Conflicts can arise anywhere, regardless of the people around you and the circumstances. An angry boss or unscrupulous subordinates, demanding parents or dishonest teachers, grandmothers at bus stops or angry people in public places. Even a conscientious neighbor and a dandelion grandmother can cause a big conflict. This article will discuss how to properly get out of a conflict without suffering damage - moral and physical.

It is impossible to imagine a modern person who is not subject to stress. Accordingly, each of us experiences such situations every day at work, at home, on the road; some sufferers even experience stress several times a day. And there are people who constantly live in a stressful state and don’t even know it.

Life is a strange and complex thing that can throw up several dozen troubles in one day. However, it is worth remembering: any trouble is a lesson that will definitely come in handy sometime in the future. If a person is an honest student, then he will remember the lecture the first time. If the lesson was unclear, life will confront you with it again and again. And many people take this literally, making their lives more difficult! But sometimes you shouldn’t tolerate certain things, looking for life lessons in them! What specific situations should be stopped?

Everything seems dull and gray, loved ones are annoying, work is infuriating and thoughts arise that your whole life is going somewhere downhill. In order to change your own life, you don’t have to do something supernatural and difficult. Sometimes the simplest and most accessible actions for every person can significantly increase energy levels and make you feel much better. Try to implement 7 effective practices into your life that will dramatically change your life for the better.

Anyone who is engaged in self-development knows that he cannot do without a feeling of discomfort. Quite often, people confuse discomfort with a bad streak in life and begin to complain, or even worse, try to avoid change. But as experience shows, only by going beyond comfort can we find and gain all the benefits we need.

Many people cannot imagine their day without one or more cups. And it turns out that drinking coffee is not only tasty, but also healthy! If you do not complain of serious health problems, then you can drink a few cups of this delicious drink without remorse and enjoy its benefits.

Research clearly proves that longevity in a bright mind and memory is not at all a consequence of any self-restraint. Against. As scientists led by cognitive neuroscientist Emily Rogalski from Northwestern University in the United States found, the path to longevity is joyful, full of pleasant temptations and simple.

ScientistAlert publication Scientists Are Revealing The Brain Difference That Turns Some People Into ‘Superagers’ published an extract from Rogalski's report given at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in February 2018.

After studying it, Lifehacker compiled a list of six habits that most super-aged people have - this is how in English scientific newspeak they call those whose age has crossed the 80 mark and is confidently approaching 100.

1. Do not deny yourself pleasures

It is believed that the path to longevity lies exclusively through a healthy lifestyle: a properly balanced lifestyle, giving up bad habits, fighting excess weight, and so on. But, as it turned out, this is a myth.

Among the centenarians, there were practically no those who led a healthy lifestyle in its classical sense. Most of them smoke (Rogalski mentions that 71% of super-agers have this bad habit). And he regularly pampers himself with a glass or two of wine (this passion was recorded in 83% of those who happily passed the 80-year mark and rushed to their personal age).

These observations coincide with the findings of the 90-Year-Old Study, a large-scale analysis of the habits of centenarians conducted by scientists at the University of California in 2003. You can read about the results of the study, but a short summary goes like this:

People who indulge in small pleasures like coffee and wine live longer, on average, than those who abstain.

Of course, we are talking about any joys: everything that gives us pleasure prolongs life. And it doesn’t matter what exactly it will be: wine, steak, a good book, music or something else. There is only one effect: more joy - more life.

2. Do not overdo diets

Oh, by the way, about steaks. Delicious food is also a source of pleasure that you shouldn’t deny yourself. You may not be as slim as you would like to be, but you will have a better chance of living to 100 years old.

“We don’t yet know how to explain it, but low BMI after 80 years has a negative effect on life expectancy,” Rogalski notes, drawing on his own scientific experience.

3. Have something you love

What almost all centenarians have in common is the presence of a hobby. They always have something to do: someone is cross-stitching, someone is enthusiastically photographing the surroundings or going on weekly bike rides.

4. Don't forget your friends

Social activity is another common feature of centenarians. And it is closely related to the cognitive functions of the brain. Scientists suggest that it is sociability that protects people from senile dementia and other age-related neurological disorders.

Researchers have discovered that all centenarians have an unusually large number of brain cells called von Economo neurons. Von Economo neurons of the anterior cingulate across the lifespan and in Alzheimer’s disease. These neurons are thought to play an important role in the rapid transmission of information associated with social interactions.

And the conclusion here is simple.

The more often and more actively you communicate, the more new friends you make, the more von Economo neurons your brain grows.

And the lower the risk of developing dementia and other aging disorders.

Oh, by the way, a little more about the brain...

5. Give yourself moderate mental stress

Reading, acquiring any new skills - these factors are also unifying factors for super-agers. With retirement, their life does not end, but blossoms with new colors: they continue to study. Such a load is good for the brain, since it allows you to maintain a clear and sharp mind even after 80.

6. Be optimistic

This is perhaps one of the key habits. All centenarians have a more positive outlook on the world than the average older person. They enjoy life; reality still arouses their curiosity and even delight. Perhaps that is why death and darkness avoid them.

According to statistics cited by Emily Rogalski, only 5% of the world's population crosses the threshold of 80 years of sound mind and memory. Taking this milestone, according to gerontologists, will be much easier if you enjoy life and.